


That's what people do

by StartingWithTheRidingCrop



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:12:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3631074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StartingWithTheRidingCrop/pseuds/StartingWithTheRidingCrop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes someone's voice is the last thing a person needs to hear, nothing grand, nothing dramatic, just right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's what people do

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an otp post on tumblr (that I can't find again) and I couldn't resist. I would say I'm sorry but I'm really not.

Jim rolled his eyes and sighed, for once he just hoped that his men would leave him alone for once and stop being so fucking incompetent and ringing him while they were out of their depth.  
The slightly tinny ringtone blared from his phone and he stood from his office, walking out into the lounge of his large apartment so there was more room to pace as he so often did. 

He pressed answer, not bothering to check the caller ID before he snapped down the phone, 

"What?!" 

"Hey boss." Jim huffed out a breath, it was only marginally better that it was Sebastian that was calling him though he was still annoyed at being disturbed. 

"What is it Sebastian you're meant to be on a job." 

"I am on a job, I just needed to call you for a moment." Jim raised his free hand and rubbed it over his forehead, he didn't do causal phone chats, especially not when his best sniper was meant to be carrying out a meticulously planned job. 

"Sebastian, please stop fucking about I need this job done and I need you back here we have more work to do." 

"Sure boss, you sound stressed? Is it the Sherlock thing again?" Jim could hear the genuine concern in Sebastian's voice and his tone finally softened, as much as he didn't like to admit it he admired the fact Sebastian cared for him so much because it seemed like no one else would, not even himself. 

"Yeah, yeah tiger it is. But it's going to be sorted soon it's going to be all over." Jim heard a soft sigh from the other end and it sounded almost relieved and he suddenly felt terribly guilty for making Sebastian suffer this awful obsession. 

Sebastian had still never left his side, even when they started using each other for... Convenience? Or when that became something more and they started to look after each other.  
It was mutually beneficial and though Jim would always be reluctant to admit it, he felt safe with Sebastian and he felt wanted. 

"That's good boss." Jim could hear the grin in Seb's voice but the relaxed expression on his face was soon furrowed with worry lines as he heard Sebastian wracked with rather violent coughs. 

"Tiger what's going on?" 

"Nothing, just smoke, inhaled it the wrong way. You always say I should quit." There was an almost watery laugh from his sniper and Jim let himself relax once more but now he felt like something was off.  
Sebastian never rang for a 'chat' it was something they just never did. 

"What's really wrong? Why did you ring me?" 

"Oh, just letting you know the job is done, went rather well." Sebastian winced at the phrase of words and it cause the throbbing in his abdomen to worsen. He looked down, his free hand hopelessly trying to hold him together and he figured he has another minute or so, maybe two if he was lucky. 

"I still don't understand why you rang me tiger, you always text me when a job is finished. What is going on?" Jim was starting to sound angry now and the totally predictable reaction made Sebastian laugh and since the phone call started tears finally sprang to Sebastian eyes. 

He was in so much shock with the injury the pain wasn't enough to make his eyes water, but Jim simply being the Jim he had always known was enough to set him off. Knowing that he would never get to experience one of Jim's tempers again, knowing he would be able to hold Jim when he needed it was worse than any physical pain. 

"I just fancied a chat, maybe I wanted to hear you're irresistible Irish brogue." He tried laughing again but he knew he had given the game away, Jim knew him so well and he would have heard the small nuances in Sebastian voice telling him he was upset. 

"What is it Moran!? Tell me!" Jim hated not knowing anything and knowing this involved his tiger only made him borderline frantic, needing to know, only managing to stop himself from screaming down the phone. 

"I wanted to hear your voice little magpie." Jim froze, stopped his now frantic pacing and sucked in a breath. Sebastian had only called him that once and it was when a job went sour and Jim had been hurt and Sebastian was beyond worried. It seemed like now it was Jim's turn. 

"Sebastian, you better tell me what is really wrong right now or so help me god I will turn you into a throw rug... Please, tiger." Sebastian closed his eyes and smiled at the softness of Jim's voice with the last couple of words and he realised he was now truly crying.  
The wetness on his cheeks he had no energy to wipe away so he simply let them fall, he also felt his arm getting heavy and he knew he could stay of the phone for much longer.

He was slipping and he took a deep breath, coughing slightly and wincing again as he physically felt the blood leaving his body with the force of the cough. 

"It's fine, Jim. Trust me, I also don't think I would make a very handsome throw rug. Would quite match our decor." He gave another weak laugh before gathering enough energy for another sentence, feeling the phone trying to slip from his hand. 

"I know you have been in the office so you probably haven't ate, there's some left over Chinese in the fridge so please eat that and drink some water. I'm going to have to go now boss." Jim could barely reply, why this phone call? Why was Sebastian trying to look after him when he could come home and do it himself? 

"Sebastian I don't know what's going on but you better tell me everything when you get back, you hear me?!" Sebastian's energy was now completely drained and this time it hurt to speak, but it was worth it. Worth it to tell Jim before he went, he couldn't die without letting him know. 

"Of course, everything. I love you little magpie." The phone finally fell form Sebastian's hand and he felt himself going completely lax, he knew he was going but he made peace with this inevitability a long time ago, you do that kind of thing working for  
The 'napoleon of crime'. 

He was nearing the end but he realised it still wasn't enough, he needed to hear Jim's voice once and with strength Jim would have been proud of he reached out and turned his phone on speaker. 

In the time it took for Sebastian to do that Jim had simply been frozen in shock, why? Why?! Why that, and why now? He was only brought back to himself when he heard scuffling and Sebastian severely weakened voice again. 

"Sorry boss, forgot to say goodbye." He was glad the microphone on his phone was rather sensitive or Jim may not have heard him, this was it. He couldn't even open his eyes and it was if he could physically feel the life leaving his body, in a way he could with the blood still spilling between his fingers. 

"Sebastian? Sebastian?! What the fuck are you playing at?" Was this some kind of joke? Jim was going to string him up when he got back for doing this, he hung up and through his phone across the room.  
Why the fuck would Sebastian do that? Go and ruin something good? Make it complicated? 

Sebastian let himself be enveloped by darkness and he was sure he caught Jim saying his name, one of is favourite things to hear and he couldn't think of anything more perfect to hear before there was simply nothing.

~ 

The tinny ringtone filled the room again and Jim rushed over to answer, ready to scam down the phone at Sebastian for fucking about but the noise died in his throat as he heard another one of his men on the line. 

"Sir."

"What is it? What the fuck is going on?! Tell me or I will fucking SHOOT YOU MYSELF?" He knew there was something wrong, he just fucking knew and he was becoming frantic. 

"Moran sir, he has been killed in action." Jim's hand shook so violently the phone nearly fell from his grip before he managed to grasp it tightly to his ear and he reigned himself in. Icy coolness taking over the raging turmoil he felt inside. 

"What happened?" 

"The man you had the hit on was smart, he had a contingency plan and as soon as he was took out Sebastian was shot. He bled out." Jim though of Sebastian covered in his own blood, on the phone to Jim and his breath stuck in his throat. He was so upset there was no tears, he just felt almost empty, his tiger was gone and it was entirely down to him.  
The man on the other end must have picked up on the pause and he couldn't fathom why Jim was so affected, he though people were expendable right? 

"He completed the job though, he just got caught out and was killed. It shouldn't have been too painful, but people die in this line of work boss. That's what people do." 

That's what people do...

THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO!

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr at mormortrash.tumblr.com where things might be considerably... Happier? Also comments and kudos mean so much!


End file.
